Best Bullet placement for bears??

Did some guiding back in the day for bear and lion. Every single wreck we were in was because of poor shot placement. Had a client stick one in the ass with an arrow. Between my brother and I, we put ten 264 grain .44 mags in his chest. The bear killed two dogs, put all of us up a tree and ran down the hill I would guess 300+ yards. When I cut him open there wasn't one vital that you could hold in your hands. Our mantra was always take out a front wheel with a gun and keep shooting. Our experience with bows was always good when they hit them right. There was always trailing involved but they weren't in a rage. Had some with a bow that were dead before they hit the ground as well. Got to hit them right. Just don't hit them in the ass.
 
Did some guiding back in the day for bear and lion. Every single wreck we were in was because of poor shot placement. Had a client stick one in the ass with an arrow. Between my brother and I, we put ten 264 grain .44 mags in his chest. The bear killed two dogs, put all of us up a tree and ran down the hill I would guess 300+ yards. When I cut him open there wasn't one vital that you could hold in your hands. Our mantra was always take out a front wheel with a gun and keep shooting. Our experience with bows was always good when they hit them right. There was always trailing involved but they weren't in a rage. Had some with a bow that were dead before they hit the ground as well. Got to hit them right. Just don't hit them in the ass.

the wrong shot might get them aggravated
 
Black Bear #1 - small female - .300 RUM w/ 180 GR's at 30 ft - Walking slightly quartered towards me, shot through the front shoulder absolute wreckage of the hide with parts sprayed everywhere out the football sized hole on the other side.

Black Bear #2 - medium boar - 100 GR Exodus Broadhead at 20 YDS - Shot in the armpit as he was reaching, nicked his heart, he ran 20 feet.

Black Bear #3 - medium female - .45-70 unsure on load at 20 YDS - Shot just behind the front shoulder, ran 30 feet.

Grizzly #1 - large male - .338 WM and .30-06 - I could not get closer than 275 YDS and shot first with the .338 WM and was backed up with a .30-06 we both emptied our guns, knocked him down twice and that freight train kept on rolling. Followed blood through alder hell for close to a mile and it dried up. We never found him and that was the most haunting experience of my hunting thus far. Trailing a wounded pissed off griz through alders as daylight was fading. We came back the next day and started from last blood flagging with the same result, no bear. Ultimately I believe I hit him too far back.

Grizzly #2 - large male - 100 GR Exodus Broadhead at 20 yards - Quartering away, tucked the arrow into his ribs and it exited his opposite front shoulder. He ran 75-100 yards max.

BRWNBR and a few of the other guides on here probably have more bear experience than most of us combined. I'd take their input with high regard.

thanks a lot. you must be quite the hunter
 
Small black bear boar 300WSM 180gr Accubond 210yds went right though the lungs. The bear took one leap and then rolled down the mountain a few yards.
 
Quite a few black bear, .243 100gr power point, a couple with 80 TTSX, between 25-300 yards, none farther than 120 yard recovery. All shot behind the shoulder.
I had a very reputable guide tell me to aim for the middle of the middle on bears when bow hunting....it has always worked. I tend to get closer to the shoulder with a gun.
 
I've taken and been a part of taking quite a few black bears and a grizzly. 7mm magnum, 300 win and 308 win frontal and broadside shots. More than anything I would encourage you to get close, they don't bleed well and being right on them for a follow up or visual is helpful do recovery. I will say I've seen quicker kills on the two frontal shots than multiple broadside hits.
 
Quite a few black bear, .243 100gr power point, a couple with 80 TTSX, between 25-300 yards, none farther than 120 yard recovery. All shot behind the shoulder.
I had a very reputable guide tell me to aim for the middle of the middle on bears when bow hunting....it has always worked. I tend to get closer to the shoulder with a gun.

shoulder and lungs shot it is. i cant wait ti go hunting and show you guys pics
 
Simple way to remember is put the bullet thru the thickest part of the bear. Quartering toward you...point of the shoulder with a hind quarter exit quarter away, just the opposite. Head on, right down the collar bone and out his butt hole. Faceing away, up the butt hole. After the first shot, just get the next ones into fur!! Never assume one did it. Insurance shots are cheap compared to a mistake. I've personally been responsible for as little over 130 bears being shot. Aside from nervous system there is no constant with bears. Ten lung shots will have ten different results.
 
BRWNBR what is the furthest you've had a big brown bear run after a solid double lung shot?

Zoro, BRNWBR is definitely the man with the knowledge when it comes to brown bears. With some of the bruisers he's taken I'm sure its much more important to try and take out some bone on the way through. I've taken mostly black bears and have always used the same mentality as you would on your Arkansas whitetail. Put the bullet in the crease behind the shoulder. I've never had a lunged black bear run more than 30 yards before they started rolling down the mountain.

Black bear #1- 338wm with 225gr TSX bullets, broadside heart shot at 40 yards, two leaps into the grass and dead.
Black bear #2- 325 wsm with 200 gr Accubond, broadside lung shot at approx. 100 yards, ran 20 yards then started rolling down the mtn.
Black bear #3- 325 wsm with 200 gr Accubond, broadside double lung shot at 155 yards, ran 20-30 yards and started rolling
Black bear #4- 325 wsm with 200 gr Accubond, broadside lung shot at 178 yards, tried to run up the mnt. then quickly realized he was dead

Brown bear #1- I finally took my first brown bear this fall. Only about a 6'2" bear, 325 wsm 200 gr Accubond, 164 yards broadside slightly up the mtn., just caught the upper part of the heart then passed through and took out the opposite side leg just above the elbow. He spun and took 3 or 4 big leaps before somersaulting down the mountain.

All my black bears are in the 4.5'-5.25' range, so nothing very large. The 325 wsm I carry is overkill for these black bears but I always have a brown bear tag in my pocket at the same time. My 325wsm is also a Browning Titanium so the light carry weight usually makes it the first gun out of the safe when I'm hiking around the mountains.
 
Here is a graphic
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This is why I don't like a shoulder short. Not much vital behind the shoulder and a 3 legged bear can run darn fast. The heart lays very low too.


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please i will appreciate your real life experiences.

what rifle/weapon?
ammo
how how many yards?
and lastly the bullet placement.
I haven't been bear hunting in quite a few years but there was a time when I used to do a fair amount and really enjoyed it. My favorite bear rifle (most of the bear hunting I did was for brown/grizzly bear), is a S/S model 70 chambered in .375 H&H mag., shooting 300gr. Nosler Partitions, at 100 yards give or take (preferably less), with placement in the pump house/double lungs, for hunting purposes and brain for strictly stopping a threat. I was in a situation once where I had positioned myself right below a grizzly that was coming down the mountain directly at me. The bear had no idea I was there and just kept ambling down until he was about 50 yards or so away and never did turn to give me any other shot than straight on. I was laying down and felt like by that point, if I stood up, and gave myself away, he would either high tail it out of there or charge. So, I put the crosshairs on his chest, right below his snout, and let 'er rip. The bear dropped instantly and although it wasn't dead, it didn't move either. The bullet entered his chest, traveling up hill, and exited through his back, severing his spin/spinal cord at about the middle of his back. It's the only bear that I have ever shot (other than in the head) that dropped immediately.
 

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